Patrick Henry’s Josh Petersen slides safely into second with a stolen base Monday as Miller City second baseman Adam Drummelsmith tries to tag him out. Miller City scored a run in the top of the seventh and won the season opener for both schools, 2-1. (Photo by Matthias Leguire)

HAMLER — Ross Lehman got the win and Jackson Lammers came on to get a clutch save as Miller City edged Patrick Henry 2-1 on Monday in a classic season opener between the two schools, both two-time state baseball champions.
Lehman limited Patrick Henry, state champion in 2008 and ’09, to four hits. The Wildcats’ junior struck out seven, including one to leave the bases loaded in the second inning. Lehman also got a strikeout in the fifth inning and a strikeout and a pop-up in the sixth with the trying run on third base both times.
Lammers pitched a 1-2-3 seventh, retiring the top three batters in the Patriots’ lineup, to get the save.
Patrick Henry got an excellent pitching effort from Josh Petersen, who also struck out seven batters.
Miller City, Ohio’s state baseball champion in 1977 and again in 1984, took a 1-0 first-inning lead when Hunter Berner lined a one-out single and Jared Fuka doubled him home.
Patrick Henry loaded the bases but failed to score in the second inning, and was turned aside in the third when Joey Nickels’ liner to left was caught. The Patriots finally tied it 1-1 in the fifth when Kollin Spence drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on Petersen’s double.
Miller City stranded runners at third base in the third and fifth innings, then pushed across the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. Lammers singled leading off the inning, stole second, advanced to third on Lehman’s base hit, and scored on Fuka’s grounder to second.